Carpet cleaning machines have been devised for accomplishing a number of cleaning objectives. A feature that has been incorporated into such machines relates to properly positioning the cleaning assembly or debris pick-up assembly, such as a brush or other agitator, relative to the carpet being cleaned.
In one prior art implementation of a machine for cleaning carpets and available from the assignee of the present application, a movable cleaning assembly is included. The cleaning assembly can be raised and lowered relative to other parts of the cleaning machine using a lifting mechanism. The cleaning assembly has a raised position when it is desired to transport the cleaning machine from one area that has been cleaned to another area that needs to be cleaned. This prior art cleaning assembly can be lowered to a selected one of a 1 number of cleaning positions or settings. Depending upon the physical makeup of the carpet, such as the lengths of the carpet strands or piles, the operator of the cleaning machine can choose one of the selectable cleaning assembly positions. With such selectable cleaning assembly positions being available, the operator determines the cleaning assembly position to be selected and, after doing so, keeps the cleaning assembly at this selected position. The operator may decide to move the cleaning system to its raised or stored position during the cleaning of a particular carpet. When moved to this stored position, the cleaning assembly no longer is in the selected position for cleaning this particular carpet. Consequently, if the operator wishes to continue cleaning this carpet after moving the cleaning assembly to its stored position, the operator is required to remember this previously selected floor (leaning position. If the operator does not remember this previously selected position, further efforts must be taken to arrive at the desired selected cleaning assembly position and a mistake may occur in which the operator does not return the cleaning assembly to an optimum cleaning position.
With respect to assisting the operator in maintaining a selected cleaning assembly position for a particular carpet being cleaned, it would be worthwhile to provide a mechanism that does not require the operator to remember the selected cleaning assembly position, particularly where the cleaning assembly is raised to its stored or non-cleaning position before cleaning of the particular carpet is finished.